


The Tale of Mimikyu

by MillenniumAspen



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Alola, Fluff, Generation 7, Generation VII, Horror, Other, Tragedy, Ula'Ula, Ula'Ula Island, crosspost
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-09-01 05:24:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16758784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MillenniumAspen/pseuds/MillenniumAspen
Summary: Is this how it feels to be loved?(One-shot written between March and July 2017. Cross-post from Quotev.)





	The Tale of Mimikyu

I do not remember when it began. Every event of my life consists of only one moment without past or future. All that exists is the present. Despite my efforts, perhaps this concept of time continues to elude me.

I can still sort some events into a somewhat linear form, however. I remember that moonless night that I wandered away from my decrepit home, clutching my special disguise over my body. I am deeply fearful of my own insecurities.

That was when I met him, to my surprise. I always thought these creatures were diurnal -- willfully active under the sun's tyranny, but hide away from the grace of the moon -- and yet there he was. An adolescent human male slumped against the trunk of a tree, peering up into the forest canopy. A small growl rose in my throat as I held back in the brush, yet despite my wishes, an unseeable force soon began to push me forward. Was this what is called curiosity?

He noticed my approach with a gasp, but his expression of pleasant surprise turned grim once he realized I was not what he initially thought I was. Still, he stood his ground, waiting for me to make a move.

I felt rooted to the ground again. My instincts screamed at me to flee, but I was unable to move a muscle. Was this really the right thing to do? My eyes ran up and down the young human's figure, and soon my gaze was locked with his. He stepped away from the tree and knelt to the ground before me, extending an inviting hand with palm upturned.

It was a risk, but I felt myself pushed forward again. With caution, I continued my slow approach until I was an arm's length away. A fingertip brushed against the ragged ear of my cloak.

Spitting, flashing claws, a garbled snarl erupted from my throat. He drew his hand back from my now disheveled appearance.

There I was, standing before a stranger with an appendage of my true form exposed. The shard of midnight receded beneath its usual veil again. In less than a second, it was gone. It never existed.

He leaned closer and continued to study me. I remained where I was, meeting his dark eyes again, and making no attempt to betray hostility or trust.

Again, his hand connected with my disguise. I made no movement, but my body tensed anyway. That was, until his hand slid down to the level of my true form. I could feel the stroking of his thumb against my cheek through the veil, and soon, the tension ebbed from my body. I began to lean into the touch, savoring it.

Was this what was considered 'intimacy?'

That was when he spoke to me for the first time: the sounds he produced to refer to me, which I came to understand as my name.

"Mimikyu," he whispered.

I was then no longer what one would call a wild Pokémon. The bond of trust between us had already solidified. Carefully lifted from the ground, I was brought back to his shelter at the edge of the forest where it stood among several others. It always fascinated me how humans were able to construct such complicated homes for themselves.

The heat and humidity of this land we call Ula'Ula Island hangs in the air even at night, so when we entered the shelter, I was relieved to be greeted by the dark, cool atmosphere inside.

My eyes are adapted to the dark. It only takes me a fraction of the light a human needs to see just as much detail. Scanning over this section of the shelter, I could make out how alien this place was. The ground was made from smooth stone, and propped up at its center was a square slab of wood, surrounded by smaller wooden structures standing on four stilts.

My observations were interrupted by a flash of unnatural light. With a shriek, I found myself dropped to the ground and cowering beneath the wooden slab. My eyes streamed from the irritation of the otherworldly brightness. Perhaps agreeing to come with him had been a mistake.

As if my pleas had been answered, the shelter grew dimmer in an instant. A few seconds passed before I was comfortable with looking up again. There he was again, crouched beside the wooden structure, regarding me with concern. He held his arms open towards me. With the head of my disguise fallen back, I stepped towards him with it lolling behind me. He grimaced at this sight, but nonetheless, he stroked my cheek again. Surely by now he would have known what he was dealing with. He muttered soothing words to me, but I could not understand any of them. This was before I understood the complexities of human language.

He showed me to his chamber; an area of the shelter that had been sectioned off specifically for him. The first thing I noticed about it was the whirring noise from a machine in the corner, and the large nest against the wall. He gave me a short tour of this place, none of which I understood, and then retired to his nest for the remainder of the night. Admittedly it looked rather comfortable, but I am still partial to the makeshift nests I made in shadowy areas during daylight.

Most would not think of a Fairy-type as being nocturnal, but I suppose my Ghost half makes me a rare exception. Choosing to stay close to him, I remained in the chamber. The soft texture of the ground reminded me of moss and other matted plants. I pretended that was what it was as I closed my eyes to be alone with my thoughts.

I must have fallen asleep near dawn, because I woke suddenly to a forceful jab to my side. With a long hiss, I backed beneath the nest, hiding myself in the shadows. An Oricorio stared back at me, twitching her head as she tried to focus on me as birds often do. I am sure she could have spoken to me, but instead she shook out her red feathers and fluttered upwards and out of sight. I could hear the nest creak above me as the Oricorio prodded him from his sleep.

The light of early morning entered the shelter through transparent panels on the walls, but I squinted my eyes to protect them from this as I was carried back to the first section of the shelter that I had been introduced to. It was then that I met the sire and the dam.

I was not sure what I was expecting when I first came across this pair of older humans seated on the wooden structures, but the moment I had entered their territory, they stopped their feasting to regard me with their son. I could not immediately read their expressions, but what I did recognize was the frown that fell upon the sire's face.

It was time to eat. Only then had I realized how hungry I had grown overnight. The Oricorio joined us, first putting on a short dance performance for the dam and receiving a pleasant stroke to the nape of her neck in response. We were then served what humans call "Pokémon food." Needless to say, the brown pellets were nothing like the much more appetizing food I had in the wild, but that Oricorio had no issues with digging right into it. I watched for a few seconds as she bent over and plucked individual pieces with her beak. Either she had been born into domestication, or had lived among humans long enough to no longer have an appreciation for real food.

Regardless, I was hungry enough at this time to not care for long. All eyes were on me as I positioned myself over the meal, allowing my body to absorb it underneath my veil. There was a shriek of horror from the dam.

Before I had known it, several weeks had passed. Despite the early protests from the sire and the dam, he kept me and treated me kindly. However, I was still not allowed the same free rein of the shelter as that Oricorio, and was kept solely in the personal chamber most of the time. I was fine with that though. While that bird got all of the loving attention, I had the opportunity to learn more about this human and his life.

It was not long before I began to learn phrases in human speech, and the words that they use to refer to certain objects. As the weeks turned into months, I could clearly understand full sentences. I was growing more adapted to a lifestyle of daytime wakefulness to coincide with my human companions, and my eyes were even able to adjust more to sunlight. By this time, I was becoming a part of the family, along with that bird, and given the opportunity to fully explore what they called their house. Most of the time though, I still preferred to stay with the young human in his room, safe from the cruel words that I knew his parents whispered about me.

The bond that I developed with my friend ran deep. Before long, we were spending all of our time together. Having gotten used to that food for domesticated Pokémon, I ate my breakfast at the same time as him. Sometimes even his parents and that Oricorio joined us as well. I never was able to get a word out of her.

Eventually I found myself able to come outside in broad daylight, and frequently traveled with my friend to the local open air market to buy groceries with money lent to him by his mother. I never would have known the incredible amount of people and Pokémon who live on Ula'Ula Island without visiting this place. The first few times I went, they had mixed reactions to me, but as time passed, they came to realize that I was as friendly as any other Pokémon living with humans, Ghost-type or not.

During one particular visit, we encountered a human female of the same age as my friend who was accompanied by a Sandshrew. As we were passing her, I took notice of an unusual pendant tied to a chain around her neck.

"Wait, wow!" my friend exclaimed and stopped in his tracks. "Is that an island challenge amulet?"

The girl nodded, and soon the two of them had struck up a conversation. I did not pay attention to it, but they both sounded excited. As this was going on, the Sandshrew approached me, clearly not familiar with my species. His nose was twitching as he entered my personal space, and I could feel the cold radiating from his icy plating already.

A small paw touched my disguise and we both drew back from each other in surprise. The Sandshrew curled into a ball and rolled behind his Trainer. She quickly realized what had happened, and told us that she had to go.

We went on to finish our shopping for that day and return home without a word from my friend. That night we were in the living room together. I sat on the armrest of the couch beside him, only partially paying attention to the images that flashed on the screen of the television.

"Mimikyu," he said at last. I looked up at him, wondering what he had in mind. He asked me, "Do you know about Alola's island challenge?"

I tilted the head of my disguise to one side, then shook it.

He chuckled and stroked my favorite spot with his thumb. I leaned into the touch as I usually do. "I've always wanted to do it, but my parents won't let me even though I'm old enough now." He leaned back in the couch with his arms crossed. "It's so unfair! They never let me do anything. Every other kid gets to go on adventures with Pokémon!" There was a pause as he glanced sideways at me, and his voice dropped to a whisper as he spoke again. "Sometimes I wish I could run away and just do it anyway."

The head of my disguise again slumped to one side. He let out a long breath.

"I'm sorry. I guess you're still confused," he admitted.

That was when he told me. He told me everything there was to know about the island challenge. The trial captains. The kahunas. Sometimes these objects called Z-Crystals were given out as rewards for completing parts of the challenge. My body grew stiff as I listened to his excited explanation.

"You're a dual-type, Mimikyu! You could use two Z-Moves!" he exclaimed. He then must have noticed the look in my eyes, because he slowed down then. "I guess what I mean to say is, one day I'll find a way to go on the island challenge. I would become a real Trainer then." He took a moment to stare directly at me. "Mimikyu, would you go with me on this journey?"

I hopped up and down in my place and soon landed in the lap of my future Trainer. I could not see his face then, but I knew he was smiling down at me.

"We won't have to do it alone either. We'll meet more Pokémon along the way who will also want to go with us," he added. "Just imagine how many new friends you'll make! Oh, and don't worry. Oricorio won't have to come with us."

Not long after, we decided to go to bed. On this particular night, it was likely a mix of both my own excitement and my nocturnal biology, but I found myself awake much longer than my friend, seated on a table in the center of the room with only the whirring noise of the computer fan to break the silence. At least the bedroom door was usually kept shut these days, so there was no worrying about being pestered by that bird anymore.

A year now I had been living with these humans, and few traces of my former life as a wild Pokémon still remained. Now I was on the way to becoming a Pokémon under the command of a Trainer, which was something I had never imagined myself being. For all intents and purposes, I was an entirely different individual.

That deal was official just days later when he came home one day with a particular surprise for me: an all too familiar red-and-white ball. In my excitement, I tapped the button myself, allowing it to absorb my body and capture me. Although they seemed skeptical at first, the amount of progress my friend had made with me seemed to be enough to convince his parents that he was ready. In one month's time, he -- we -- would be allowed to begin the island challenge. We celebrated that evening with a gourmet meal prepared specifically for me by a neighboring woman.

As it was growing dark outside, our excitement began to wind down for the night. My friend was seated on the edge of his bed with me beside him, staring up at him with affection. His thumb was again stroking my favorite spot.

"You know, Mimikyu," he began. He turned to look down at me with his gentle eyes. My chest fluttered whenever he did that. "There is something I have always wondered about your species." As he said this his gaze drifted upwards from my eyes, and for the first time in a year, my breath grew shallow.

He took the tip of my disguise's ear between two fingers. I recoiled on instinct, but my rational mind prevented me from going far. I knew he had no intention to hurt me. I can trust him with all of my being.

"Why do you do it?" he asked. "Pretend to be something you're not, I mean."

I stood motionless, ear tip still pinched, waiting if he would say more.

"Is it fear? Insecurity?"

I did not respond. I did not move.

"Is there something that you don't want me to see?"

The head drooped to one side, and I felt the short end of the veil lift a centimeter off of the bed.

He leaned closer to me with those dark eyes still trained on the hold he had on the disguise. "I just think it's sad, Mimikyu. Whatever the reason, I think it would be great for you to be true to yourself. We can be even better friends than we are now!"

Then he met my eyes. Not those of the disguise, but my own. Right where they were showing through tiny slits in the cloth.

I dared not make a move. Not in such dire circumstances.

"What exactly are you hiding?"

A whisper of a heartbeat drummed in my ears, and the veil was lifted.

* * *

_From there it is all a blur._

_The heavy thud of his weight on the floor._

_My scramble to cloak myself again._

_The dam's horrified shrieks._

_Those words I could no longer understand._

_But I knew their intent._

_Cold, laced with poison and hatred._

_The maw of bitterness seized me in my shadowy retreat._

_Safe from detection, as the wail of human emergency vehicles approached our shelter._

* * *

That was the night that I saw my friend for the last time.

Our journey together was never to be. He was removed from our house, unconscious and barely breathing. I have no idea where he went, but wherever it was, he never returned from it.

I preferred to stay hidden within his room in the following days. Whenever I attempted to leave it, even just for a snack, his mother snatched an object from the kitchen and waved it at me in her hysterics. I do not know what it was, but the way its honed edge glinted in the light made me wary of it.

His parents often left the house for hours at a time, apparently just to visit him, wherever he was. Sometimes Oricorio went with them, although the same offer was never made to me. The scathing looks that bird gave me as she went out the door were enough to slice into my soul.

More than a week passed. The sobbing of the mother penetrated the walls of the bedroom. Upon taking a peek out the door, I saw her crouched at the living room sofa with the trembling figure of the father knelt over her.

The visits ended that day.

It was also then that I was no longer welcome in the place I had come to recognize as my home. It was then that I knew it was time to defend myself, hissing and spitting as I lashed back at the mother, standing my ground as I was pushed back out the door on that humid evening.

A single slash from her weapon was all it took.

It never dawned on me the danger I was in until one familiar black-tipped ear landed beside me, every thread at its base severed.

A part of me returned to the wild then. A shady limb flashed out from my disguise and delivered a heavy blow. I felt the satisfying rip of flesh beneath my claws.

I drew back. With a hand placed over her lacerated cheek, the look of fear crossing into her eyes warmed my body to its core. With one last hiss, I withdrew into the forest behind me.

My appendage was still exposed, now stained with a quickly-cooling, red fluid. I was not concerned though. The cover of night would keep me hidden.

It seemed after all that I had been through I had returned to my old life. The same forest I had come into existence near was where I found myself now. The same place I had met him.

My heart ached for my Trainer. The wild was no longer a place where I belonged. Whatever it took, I knew I had to find him then, wherever he had gone.

He should be fine by now, right? Once I can finally see him again, we can take on the island challenge.

_Together._

My temporal sense was warped as I returned to my former home: the place I had been born. Is it true that something humans call time had progressed? Or has all of my existence been a single moment?

It is still hard for me to separate events on a timeline. Perhaps I have always simultaneously existed in my birthplace and with my Trainer, as far apart as they are spatially.

Hidden in the shadows of this decrepit building, I discarded my damaged disguise. The familiar face scrawled on this one-eared thing, staring up at me, left me with a feeling of yearning.

_If only I could be loved and trusted as easily as them._

I pushed the thought aside. This was not important right now. What I needed was rest for when the sun rose again.

The doorless entrance to this abandoned building yawned open to the sight of the forest beyond. I nestled myself down where I was, taking in this view.

My search starts tomorrow.


End file.
